The SilK Flower
by pretty cherry
Summary: He knows they are too different, he knows that he shouldn't..but still...he hopes..
1. Whispered Touches

**The Silk Flower**

**Part 1**

**Whispered touches **

**-:-**

He had always known that he was different from others before he had entered the academy. His father had always warned him not to get too close to people, physically or emotionally, because someone will always get hurt, and that would probably always be him.

His parents' marriage was arranged, and was not by any means a love match. Although his mother now is happy, she wasn't before and neither was his father. Being so quiet since he was a child had allowed him to see their sadness. He remembered too much of his mother's home sickness and tears, and his father's soft sighs and miserable expressions.

It was a very obvious thing among the Aburames to be very indulging to their spouses, as if they were unconsciously trying to make up for something… imperfect and wanting.

But it was fortunate for him to have such a kind mother, kinder than most at the least. She raised him herself, which is more than he can say for the other women who had married into their clan, who preferred to not touch their children longer than necessary and flinch at every innocent, playful contact of skin.

He thought that maybe because he was her son, her own, that she felt unable to reject him as the other's have, that he was different than his father. He was told that she adapted very quickly after his birth as if she was finally ready to settle after years of trying to find her home in a foreign village.

As he started to grow older and met his peers, he had discovered that what his father had told him was true. People tend to avoid them, politely keep their distance, and ignore the simplest of courtesies as the hand shaking of equals, preferring to bow as if they were showing respect to their superiors when they weren't.

Their sensitive skin and eyes weren't helping either, forcing to them be dressed so extremely modest, which gave them the facade of aloofness.

At the academy, it was not different. Although some would be engrossed with the high quality sophisticated shades, as soon as they know the reasons for them, they draw themselves away.

There are those who never bothered with him to begin with, like his current teammates, who never gave him hope then abandoned him with his childish plans of trust bonds.

He later discovered that those two weren't like the rest. That Kiba was a bit preoccupied with his little growing dog and making troubles everywhere, and that Hinata was shy as shy could get and a grand Heiress that was too busy to bother with someone who looked so intimidating.

_"Tsk," newly graduated Kiba said as soon as they arrived at the training grounds for the first time together, "Not my first pick of a team, but at least you're with me, Akamaru."_

_He turned to grin at them, a wolfish mischievous wide one, and extended his hand to the other boy, while the girl just eyed them both then smiled shyly at them as they shook hands._

_She_ also, never bothered with him before.

Not that he remembered her much from back then, He only remembered by her, name, Yamanaka Ino, the girl who sat at the front of the class, while he sat at the back, The girl who always fought loudly with her friend about something or the other. Also the girl from the local flower shop that often called for some assistant from his clan regarding some insect or the other.

It wasn't until later, much later, when their teams became closers, when they got promoted, when they became actual comrades that he noticed that she never treated him as most others did. She never recoiled from him, she even slapped his back encouragingly at a time, and she doesn't seem notice the things that people, especially women, deemed repulsive.

It was then that he started to feel uneasy around her. Her bizarre reaction made him uncomfortable. He started to go to great pains to avoid her, or actually, make it simpler for him to pay him no heed since he never deliberately spoke to her.

He was thankful that she started to her special training, which required her to be away for long periods of time. It made it easier for him to go to her family's green house, do his work and leave without worrying that she might show up, and ruin his disposition by acting familiar and sociable as if she could see through his everything.

He felt as if he was a child again that was holding a little hope in his hands and debating with himself if it was better to let it go now before it was taken away by force.

He hated his name.

_Why does it have to sound so much like hers?_

_TBC…_


	2. Bruised

Part 2

Bruised

-:-

She thought it was illegal, that Shikamaru was the way he was, smart and mature understanding without words, he was the best companion a girl could ask for. The two of them had always been like this, compatible in a lot of ways, she dominates and he shape shifts to fit her mood. They were like the mind and body, while Chouji was the balancing catalyst, their soul. But at times, although she was the 'mind witch', when she's with Shikamaru, it was the other way around.

It was also illegal that some other woman from a different country altogether would try to manipulate him.

Although they grew older, with uncommon responsibilities, their relationship was very constant. That was reassuring but also annoying. To think you've grown stronger, only to meet with one of your old companions and find that they can still read you as easily as anyone can read the alphabets.

Just like that day.

Her current post, was the 'Three eyed' squad, which was officially known as the 'Intelligence, Investigation, and interrogations', or more commonly, Ibiki's. It's existence was not normally known to civilians and low-ranked nin's. Only those directly under the Hokage and very senior Jounin's who had to work with them before, were aware of its actual objectives.

Information, is obtained by any means necessary.

It was her routine to train with Ibiki's other charges for the qualification, letting that Sadist wipe them into shape. She went there a few days back as usual, expecting another session, only to find herself trapped in a play of an interrogating scene.

Whether it was a high ranked illusion or the real thing, she never really figured it out. What she knew for sure, is that she was really close to breaking. Her hand were tied, her eyes covered so she couldn't possibly have transferred her conscious into someone else. She was utterly helpless, and while she knew in the back of her mind that it was all not true, she couldn't keep stay calm and rationale.

The pain was definitely real.

And abruptly, it was over. She was told, as she was given a mask and a sword, that she passed the requirements to be one of them and she can go home and resume her work after a two days break.

It was then that she met Shikamaru on her way home. She was still in a daze, trying to make sense of what had just occurred, when she felt someone watching, only to find him a few shops away. He was lazily watching her, as if he expected her to pass by this path long ago. He walked towards her, while she stood, confused. He wasn't supposed to know, was he?

Hands in the pockets of his dark pants, he drawled as he eyed the hilt of the sword that was poking out of her bag, "I take it you survived it _and _passed."

"Eh?!" She twisted her expression in that of a complete confusion. "You knew, shikamaru …?...about the test? About my new job?"

"Well..." he said turning to the direction of her house and started walking, forcing her to follow. "I suspected, since this was where your father worked before he retired, but I wasn't sure he'd let them recruit you."

"Yes, yes." She said, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach as she walked. "but how did you know that I'd be tested today?"

"I heard Ibiki brag about it a while ago, that he found a Yamanaka that he could break. As for the test, when you disappeared for a few days, I knew that you must be off being tested for a promotion." He eyed her expression to see if his guess was wrong, and lowered his gaze.

"Don't tell me you waited for me here?" she said, a smile stretching her lips slowly as if she knew his darkest, deepest secret.

He snorted and muttered "As if" and ignored her afterwards as they continued walking.

She knew better. She can see him coming her to the route she always took home, lazing around on some bench and cloud-watch as he waited for news. She can see him drop by her house to see if she got there while he was on duty, and pretended to be clueless as he asked her parent if she returned from her made-up 'mission'.

She winced, and her hand itched to dig the soreness out of her side. Was it bruised? It wouldn't hurt like this if it was just a bruise yet she knew it wasn't a cut either, for it didn't burn like the way cuts do.

Noticing that she had stopped, she looked at him standing a few feet away, eyeing her side as if he knew what was bothering her. She recognized the look in his eyes, the same look he always wears when one of his comrades was injured, as if their injury weighed heavily down on him, as if he was responsible for every paper cut and every nick.

Those tired eyes; they only light up a little when his brute woman was around. Unthinkingly, she blurted out. "We'll always be together, the three of us, won't we?"

She regretted her word as they were coming out of her lips, but he calmly replied with a hint of humor in his voice. "Of course not, let's just get you home and fixed."

They continued to walk the rest of their way in silence but she was smiling.

_They may not be together but their bond is unbreakable._

-:-

He slipped his hand out of his pocket long enough only to push the call bell at the clerk desk before hiding it again inside. He came to learn that when Ino wasn't in town, her parents tend to forget about the costumers and leave them unattended, too immersed in the work back in the green house and the outer garden.

"Welcome." Her mother said as she emerged from behind the curtain that separated the front of the shop from the back of the house and the gardens. "Oh, young Aburame."

"Hello." He bowed his head to the older woman and followed her as she waved him inside.

"Come in, come in." she said, "to tell you the truth, the village was so busy lastly that we thought that you might come later this month or your father might send someone else."

He didn't reply, and she didn't seem to expect it of him because she asked. "Would you like coffee or tea before you start your work?"

"Neither, ma'am. But thank you."

"Alright, I guess you just want to finish what you were sent to do and leave." She said, regretfully. "Well then, as usual. Make yourself at home, and if you need anything, call for me."

She left him there in the hall and disappeared up the stairs. He turned around and walked past the kitchen and the sitting room and opened the back door of the house.

He came here many times. It started years back when this exact garden became infested with earwig. He remembers it clearly. That time Ino had came to his house, so miserable looking and pitiful. She pointed an accusing finger at two of his older cousins, who was rather surprised at the rude gesture, and told them plainly "Your friends are eating my Marigolds."

One thing led to another and they stared to regularly check the gardens for insects. At first, it was as a favor but then they agreed that they would put the hives of their clan here, since the presence of flowers enhances insect reproduction and the presence of insect makes fertilization easier.

Now, every few days someone would come here to check them, and today was his turn. He walked down the stone steps, passing by the clay pots that were lined up. He was only a few steps away from a beehive when something moved by the upstairs window caught his attention.

_Oh, she was back._

He watched her move around about her room for a second before she disappeared from the window; he guessed that she probably sat down, when another head appeared. It took him a moment to recognize that tightly bound hair.

_Shikamaru…_

His eyes were pinned to that closed window. He saw that the other man acknowledged him. Shikamaru nodded to him and disappeared from his sight too and he returns to his task with his bees but not before he recognized the ugly feeling that took root in his insides.

-:-

"Is it bad?"

She sat down on her bed leaning backwards on her arms while he poked and prodded at her stomach. She was looking at the ceiling avoiding looking at whatever it was thats hurting. It was one thing to see nasty wounds on someone else and totally another thing to see the same wound on one's body.

"Hmm…" he mused and stopped abusing her. He reached for the ointment that he placed earlier beside him. "It's just a bruise, a hideous one but still a bruise. How did you get this?"

She gave him a look.

"Right…" he drawled. "I'm not supposed to ask."He scooped a bit of the herbal medicine on his finger. "Hold your shirt up."

She did and hissed as the cold cream made contact with her skin. She wondered what this guy was feeling, touching a girl's belly. Probably nothing, if her experience told her anything. She knew that both of them were more like siblings than not, at least from her point of view. The fights, argument and the non-judgmental understanding was all part of it. So was the lack of sexual attraction.

"It looks like a shoe print." He asked, catching her eye. "Were you kicked?"

Was _this_ what he was thinking about?Swatting his hand away, taking the little jar from him. "Stop analyzing my damn bruise."

"Yeah, yeah…" he said moving back. He pulled her chair and straddled it, sitting across from where she was on the bed. He crossed his arms on the back of it and rested his chin on them.

She reached to her bedside table and put away the jar. She lay down on her back leaving her stomach exposed so she won't have to ruin her shirt anymore than it already was. She fanned her stomach with her hand to dry the medicine of and watched the fan on her ceiling move at a snail's pace.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Hmm…?"

"With your new position, you need more training."

"You have been saying that for years, ever since our team 10 disbanded."

"…but it's true. You can't always count on someone else in your platoon to have a binding ability."

She sighed, "I know."

"Listen." He said, scratching his scalp with his thump, "With a teammate that has binding abilities, you're a medium-long ranged shinobi."

"Yeah," she said frowning. "So?"

"You have to train yourself to be able to shift your style to short-medium range."

"In what? Hand-to-hand?" she yawned

"Doesn't matter." He said, yawning after her. "What I'm trying to say is, you'll be faced with situations where you have to be able to do the binding yourself. ANBU mission are often solo's, and Ibiki's division, In particular, is very understaffed if my guess is right."

"I see." she said, lifting her head to pull her hair band off her bun. "Fine, I'll think about it. But for now stop nagging like a grandmother."

"You're mom should be bringing tea up this minute." He said, standing up. "Pull your shirt down, I don't have the patience for hysteria. It would turn ugly if she saw that."

She laughed weakly and did as he was told, not for his benefit but she was feeling sleeping and in case she did doze off she didn't want to be awakened by her mother's shriek.

"You're buying me a new shirt." She turned to face the wall, away from him.

"Just sleep already." He said, standing up. "I'll call Shino to keep me company. I'll wake you up when your mom brings something to eat."

"Hm?! He's here today? Strange."She mumbled, lifting her head slightly in his general direction before she dropped it on the pillow again. "Fine, just be quite and don't eat my share if I don't wake up."

"Jeez," Shikamaru sighed when he was sure she was asleep. He watched her chest raise and fall with her respiration. He also noticed the catch in it as if she's not able to breathe as deeply as she would like. He made a note to ask Sakura to check on her before this reckless fool is assigned to the next mission.

He turned to the window.

_Now, let's deal with the other fool down there._

-:-

He noticed that another man standing behind him almost as soon as he was there. Shino chose to ignore him, at least while he finished his task but now that he was done, he would be forced to turn and acknowledge him. He closed the last of the wooden boxes and slapped his hands on the fabric of his pants to dust them off. He turned around to face the intruder but said nothing.

"Good work." Shikamaru said, nodding his head.

"Ah." Shino slipped his hands back into their standard place, his pockets.

"You seem angry."

"Not really."

Shikamaru seemed to completely ignore his comment. "Was it because I didn't greet you properly?"

_Is he trying to __**pick**__ a fight?_

He remained silent.

"Sorry about that. Ino wasn't feeling very well." He said mildly as if it was no big deal, but was giving away by how he was avoiding eye contact.

Shino knew then that he was on to him. He knew that he was angry, really furious in fact, and he knew why. The look on eyes was part sympathetic and part amused. The fact that he mentioned her vaguely was a test, to see if he'd react. Well, not really react, that would be an insult to him. He did it to give him an opening to bring the subject up.

He remained silent, again. He was in no mood to play word games and throw them back and forth. Shikamaru was smart and observant enough to know this.

He sighed, much like a very tired parent that lost hope in their child. "Well, I'll say this just once. For your sake, and knowing you, it's better for you to get it off your chest and tell her. Not that I'm guaranteeing you anything, just the opposite. I personally think that you'll be shot down so fast that you won't have to time to blink."

"Oh?" Shino couldn't resist asking. "You sound so sure. I wonder why?"

"No, no, man." The other raised his hands in surrender. "_We_ have nothing going, in fact, I'm seeing another woman."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"For your own personal peace of mind. Ino has this effect on men, but once they're turned down, they seem to find their senses back and find _her_ less bewitching."

He didn't say anything and waited for what's more to come. But Shikamaru turned back to the house and waved for him to follow and called out.

"Come play a round of shoji with me until she wakes up and we'll have tea then."

He followed a bit slower than his friend but stopped soon after. Shikamaru turned to see what was keeping him.

"What about her? Won't she be affected by it if I say it?"

Shikamaru was silent after that for a moment then suddenly, he chuckled.

"You have it bad."

This time Shino didn't follow him inside and left saying that he'd rather not stay.

TBC..


End file.
